Mechanical scrub brush



April e, 194s. E. A; MILLR 2,439,344r

MECHANICAL soRUB BRUSH Filed Fe. 7, 1945 QAM;

Patented Apr. 6, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MECHANICAL SCRUB BRUSHEdward A. Miller, Milwaukee, Wis. Application February 7, 1945, SerialNo. 576,543

1 Claim. `1

My invention relates to scrub brushes, and more particularly tomechanical scrub brushes actuated by mechanical energy.

Theobject of my invention is to provide a device that has rotatablyactuated brush members operating in opposite relation to one another,and in a manner that will permit their revolving outward from oneanother for use on cloth fabric or the like without the hazard lofhaving the material crushed by the brushes during the operation.

Another object of my invention is to so construct the device as toenable its use with a ilexible shaft, thereby eliminating the necessityof incorporating the actuating `means within the devices where it wouldbe subjected to possible moisture or liquid.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a device that may besuspended and counterbalanced, thereby eliminating the lifting of thedevice when placing it onto the surface to be scrubbed.

It is manifest to anyone familiar with the art that the manual effortrequired in hand scrubloing, as applied to the cleaning industry, makesit a tiresome operation. With the use of the device as illustrated,specified and claimed herein, it is only necessary to place the actuateddevice onto the surface to be scrubbed, and the amount of downwardpressure exerted plus the type of bristles employed on the rotatingbrushes would determine the amount of scrubbing done, due to frictionalcontact of the ends of the bristles with the surface to be scrubbed.Then, also, with my device it is possible to replace and change therotating brushes to comply with the requirements needed for the type ofwork to be done.

Other and further objects of my invention will become more apparent asthe description proceeds when taken in conjunction 4with the drawing, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a partial, cross sectional view of the device taken in ahorizontal plane.

Figure 2 is a partial, cross sectional view of the device taken in avertical plane.

Figure 3 illustrates the driving mechanism and the spur gear arrangementrelative to the revolving of the brushes, and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the entire device taken from thedriving side thereof.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views and referring now to the same, the character I shows acasing or enclosure in which are mounted shafts II and II' supportingbristles I 2 and con- Vlili I 2 stituting brush assemblies I 3 and I3'.The shafts I I and II' have one end squared at I4 which engages socketsI5 .on shaft extensions i6. The other ends of the shafts II and II arejournalled in bearings Il, supported by a removable plate I 8, forming apart of the casing or enclosure Ill,` and attached thereto by means ofscrews I9. The shaft extensions I6 are journalled into the wall .of thecasing I0 and into an auxiliary plate 20. This auxiliary plate 20 isattached to the vertical wall of the casing I0 by means of screws 2I.There are spur gears 22 and 22 mounted onto the shaft extension I6within the space provided by the auxiliary plate 20 and the verticalwall of the casing I0. Obviously, the spur gears22 and 22 are of adimension smaller than the peripheral diameter of the brush assembly I3and I3' so that the outer edges of the bristles I2 of the brushes do notcontact one another.

Intermittently disposed between `the gears 22 and 22' are an auxiliarygear 23 mountedon a shaft 24 which is journalled within the verticalwall of the casing I0 and the auxiliary plate 20, and another drive gear25 mounted on a shaft 2B is similarly journalled, the shaft 26 isprovided with a beveled gear 21 on its outer end. Obviously, all of thespur gears 22 and 22', the auxiliary gear 23, and the driving gear 25engage one another at their peripheral tooth arrangement, and `as thebeveled gear 2l is rotated, the entire assembly will rotate, bringingthe brush assembly I3 to rotate in a clockwise direction. There is anauxiliary bracket 28 acting as a bearing fora vertical shaft 29 providedwith a square end 30 at one end and another beveled gear 3| at the otherend. This gear 3| meshes with the beveled gear 2l, and when aflexibleshaft, not shown, engages the square end 30 on the vertical shaft 29,the beveled gear 3I will cause the beveled gear 2l to rotate, therebycausing a rotation of the brush assemblies I3 and I3. The entire beveledgear arrangement is covered by an enclosure 32 fastened to the auxiliaryplate 20 by means of screws 33 as shown. The casing I0 is provided atits top by a handle assembly 34 fastened at 35, and a loop arrangement36 is shown in phantom, and is to act as a means for supporting theentire assembly when a counterbalancing arrangement is employed forraising and lowering the brush. Obviously, the balance weight wouldoffset the weight of the entire assembly so that the operator has but avery minimum of weight to lift when directing and placing the brushassembly onto the surface of the work to be scrubbed.

It sometimes becomes necessary to change the brushes I3 and I3' orreplace them with brushes in which the bristles l2 are stiffer forcertain jobs. This is very readily done by removing the screws I9, whichwill eliminate the bearings I1 at the ends of the shafts Il and Ilpermitting them to disengage the sockets l5 at the other end.

From the yforegoing description, it is obvious that thei devicedescribed will lendlitselfure'aliily to the service for which it isintended. The

changing and replacing of the brushes can be-v accomplished withoutprevious mechanical skill, also, the operator may exert more or less'pressure onto the device depending on the nature of the Work to be doneand the amount f fricti'orial' contact required by the ends of'thebrifstles a'rfd t the surface of the work.

one of said spur gears, a drive gear, said drive `gear mounted on ashaft and engaging said auX- iliary gear' and one of said spur gears,the shaft `supporting said drive gear provided at one of its ends with abeveled gear, a vertical shaft mounted Vto the outside; of saidauxiliary plate, said vertical While I have herein described withsi'derable particularity a single embodiment of my inveI-i-t', it willbe bv'us that many changes in the general arrangement formed andconfiguration of the struct-ure may be. made and the parts thereof maybe varied within the scope of the appended claim.

Havirigihiis describe-d my invention, what I claim and desire t'o secureby Letters Pat'erit in the' United States' is:

, A device ofthe charaeterdesorlbed comprising an 'enclosure open at'its' lower facev a'd' provided with vertical side walls, a handlehorizontally ai- 4 'shafts mounted' within bearings, said bearingssupported by' one or the vertical' walls of. said shaft provided with abeveled gear for engagerfirltwith the beveled `gear on said drive shaft,and means for rotatably actuating said-vertical shaft thereby providinga rotating. rnoticrr to said brushes, revolving said:` brushes inopposite rela'- tion to and away from. oneA another at their point ofContact of the bristles with the surface con'- tacted. W Y Y EDWARD A.MILLER,

RFERENS CITED The following Yreferences a-r'e` of record iii the fl'leofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS K Name l Date eaiefty..V -v May 5'-, 11396`1`,'53,6317` Jessen et al May 19, 1925 -1,569,167 lAnderson Jan. 12,i926 1,602,505 R'obbirl-'sA Oct, 12j, 1926 1,795,369 lilee' 1. Mar. 10;1931 Beach -l Mar; 15,1932

